Activity for SC for reinstatement of Monica‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Handwriting speed I sat for nearly ten minutes trying to decide whether to answer or not, because yes, this question is off-topic. On the other hand, how we physically write can influence what we write (keeping in mind people who flow better when hand-writing vs typing). What tipped the scales, though, was the "I was ... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there a "right" way to interpret a novel? If so, how do we make sure our novel is interpreted correctly? I'm going to say that it depends. It depends on the message an author wants to transmit and how they write it. Let's say I'm writing a romance. X starts out single and looking for their soulmate and ends up discovering that Y, their long time friend and confidant, is it. The message here would be to... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How important is it for multiple POVs to run chronologically? I believe the importance of chronological POVs is directly related to the tension of the story. My first attempt at a thriller required me to have everything in strict chronological order because there were three different characters/heroes (and POVs) working on three different levels of the story. ... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Any Tips On Writing Extended Recollection In A Novel If you're writing from the patient's POV, it's probably easier. You can show the patient's unfiltered reactions and thoughts to the doctor's questions before writing the patient's answer. > "So, when was the first time that happened?" > > "A month ago," he said automatically. > > The doctor made a... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I present a future free of gender stereotypes without being jarring or overpowering the narrative? My suggestion is to casually alude to it. I'm taking up the 'men is dress' example you mentioned. If you have characters going shopping for clothes, you can have both men and women casually commenting on a particularly nice skirt. > "That red skirt would look great on you, Jason," Anne said excitedl... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do you cope with rejection? I'm going to focus on one single point: self-doubt. I suffer from self-doubt a lot, so I have come across a strategy to control it. > What if I am really not that good, what if I am simply an acute case of the graphomania disease, and nobody will ever be interested in anything I have to say. Writin... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are some good historical sources for writing medieval battles? If the idea is to have battles with a medieval feel, then the choice lies on Epitoma rei militaris by P. Vegati Renati (now better known as Vegetius). While Rome produced many excellent military treatises, this one was the most popular throughout the Middles Ages in Europe. His work was studied, rew... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I answer high-school writing prompts without sounding weird and fake? As a teacher, I never look at the examples given as 'correct answers' when we're talking about personal writing topics. Let me elaborate with two examples: a) Write an essay about Romeo and Juliet. Whatever you write, you must include specific content (characters, plot, etc) for you to get a good ... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: In a series of books, what happens after the coming of age? In a series, I expect to find one of three approaches: a) One single plot that covers the entire series and which is divided into smaller parts in order to give each book some level of closure b) One plot that covers the entire series, and smaller plots that start and end in each book. c) small pl... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What makes a siege story/plot interesting? I suggest reading accounts of real sieges first of all. I read the siege of Lisbon in 1384, written by the chronicler Fernão Lopes, and it gives a vivid image. The way to portray a siege depends, in my opinion, on the POV: is it a high class person or low class? Low Class These are the people who ... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What should tie a collection of short-stories together? If you can make a good case, you could potentially group the short stories by whatever common thread you want, including author. You can also subgroup them. Some examples: Main point in common: author Secondary point in common: genre This is the most common, I feel. The best of Stephen King's... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding? > How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding? > > From what I've gathered, it's either: > > - Detail almost everything, Tolkien style, even if this delays enormously the publication of your novel; > - Focus on three-to-five subsets of the worldbuilding and gloss over the rest; > - Fi... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Sometimes a banana is just a banana I work with teenagers (language classes). 'Banana' is a terribly unfortunate word that will kickstart a flurry of giggling and joking. Woe befall the poor soul who says they like bananas! Hopefully, readers will be easier to deal with. In your particular case, you can use the symbolism to your adva... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What to look for when criticizing poetry? I studied literature at school, and the most important thing I learnt is that the obejctive of a poet is to transmit something, whether an idea or a feeling. To do so, the poet uses a range of techniques to craft their poem. While reading, one can experience the idea or feeling in a leisurely way, a... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do you get out of your own psychology to write characters? I think there are two steps: 1. Decide the character's philosophy of life I'm using the example of two medieval characters because that's my settings of choice. Imagine we need two female characters: Eleonor is the lady of the manor and Mary is her twice-removed cousin (from a poorer branch of the ... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How Important are essay writing conventions in the university level and above? I'm a language teacher in my native country and I do teach how to write essays. The structure is always the same: 1. Introduction 2. Development 3. Conclusion Within the development, one should present arguments in a logical order, much like the one you learnt in the first semester. Do note that th... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Not having any white MC's? This started out as a comment, but got too big and I decided to change it into an answer, focusing on the OP's last question: > But is it, I don't know, somehow alienating or offensive to white readers that the characters aren't white, and that no main characters are white? Being white or dark-skin... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What do you call a narrator who is not unreliable, but is naive? The term 'unreliable narrator' refers to any narrator that, for whatever reason, presents the narrated events in a misleading way. It does not matter whether the true nature of the events is mis-presented because the narrator actively wishes to hide or distort something, or because the narrator unwi... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What meta-properties should a character have in general? > properties [of] a generic main character of character-driven/psychological novel Short Answer: A very long list. Oh, and a degree in Psychology helps. Long Answer: Assume that you are an MC in such a novel. What makes you an individual and, therefore, will make the character a deep, fully fle... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: First quarter friends > Similarly, in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, we don't hear about Bishop Myriel, his sister and his servant after their scene with Jean Valjean, nor about Félix Tholomyès and his friends after he abandons Fantine. Only, I can't think of more modern examples, which troubles me. It is indeed hard to t... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to Introduce Something Potentially Laughable? First of all, let's define laughable. Summarising from several dictionaries, one can say it refers to something that makes you laugh because: a) it's amusing (which seems to imply something pleasant, comical, entertaining) b) it's absurd Now let me pick up the given example: intelligent rabbits ar... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is a good way to handle lengthy monologues/lectures in a novel? I would suggest using a variety of methods. Allow the first conversation to be a bit longer than the rest (do notice the emphasis on the 'a bit'), for two main reasons: 1) You are presenting a new character and it may be best to let the readers make their minds about the character through the dialo... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Conflict and antagonist in a certain subtype of erotic novels Allow me to start with conflict. There are authoritative definitions of conflict out there, but let's keep it simple: conflict is an obstacle. Typically, a character has an objective and the obstacles that lie in the way represent the conflict. Now that we have conflict defined, let's look at a pure... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Protective, not patronising There are a few things that need to be made clear: 1: How are females seen in the story's society? 2: What age is one considered adult and can, therefore, legally decide for themselves? Scenarios Let's go over some possible scenarios, shall we? 1. Women are inferior to men (despite some usef... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to include detailed, long dialog in a narrative written about a few events taking place over many months While I agree with @Amadeus's answer, I'd suggest thinking about three different points: 1. Style of the letter. Decide if you want to write it as a real letter or just a chapter pretending to be a letter. From my experience writing and receiving letters, postcards and emails, those missives have ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What techniques do you use to maintain your writing focus and maximise your productivity? I've got a lot of particulars when it comes to writing. I find that what keeps me working can vary immensely depending on the language I'm writing in, the genre, being on holiday or having to manage a few minutes out of a heavy work schedule, ... a ton of factors. I believe the best advice one can g... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to invest readers in a story that (initially) has no clear direction? > My understanding is that most novels (specifically in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre that I'm writing in) introduce very early in the story at least some sort of notion of an antagonist, a plot or an overall theme of "something is wrong and needs to change" that the protagonist will confront in the clim... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Writing a first-person novel where the MC gets temporarily taken out of commission? Since the character becomes possessed and it becomes impossible to follow his POV with a 1st person narrator, I'd suggest switching not to a different character, while maintaining the 1st person, but to a 3rd person narrator. I'd further suggest keeping the third person narrator as either limited to ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Linguistic simplicity in novels: how do different world markets/languages view it? This site has a lot of question on how to write properly and, naturally, many of the answers are on how to do it well in English. Although, obviously, if you can write well in English, you can write well in other languages since it's a simple matter of applying the general idea to other languages. E... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What things should one highlight as good in beta reading feedback? Some time ago I came across a Beta reading worksheet. One common thing is to go through those (or other) points and tell the writer only the problems that one found using them. But IMO it's important to tell the writer your answer to all the points, bad and good. > eg: > > Does the story begin in t... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do you pluralize a Roman numeral? No, you don't. Just like you don't pluralise Arabic numerals. (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: When writing a novel, is it wise to switch from first-person to third-person? What is the most effective way to do this? Since English is not my first language, and I learnt all this terminology with completely different names, bear with me as I go over the terms. So you have started writing using the third person. Did you use Omniscient or Limited? (omniscient narrator; written in 3rd person; narrator knows everythi... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I turn a "screensaver" into an actual story? My high school teacher gave us some writing assignments that forced us to focus on short scenes. She would give us a picture (usually of a painting) where you could see one person, or more, halfway through an action. Then we simply had to imagine who that person was and what was happening. This techn... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Variations of the same story? For once, I'll say if both sound good and interesting, write both. Since you've already chosen one path, go with it. Then, when you finish it, if you're still excited about the other path, write it too. There are some advantages about writing both: 1. you won't feel bad about dropping an idea that... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	What is the difference between Literature and entertainment literature The question grammar for describing plots had a few comments that touched upon the differences between literary novels and entertainment novel which made me think. So I searched the SE for any previous questions pertaining to the difference between the two and found what is literary fiction?, which c... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Grammar for describing novel plots? I'd like to add a different perspective to this focus on plotlines and plot formulas. For that, I'd like to tackle the question the OP presented in the comments: > I essentially mean to ask "What concepts do you use when you break down someone else's novel?" I did a four year university course on L... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to keep it interesting before the inciting incident? > My novel technically has two inciting incidents: One in the first chapter, and another five chapters later. The later incident really kicks off the story. So... that makes me think that the first incident kicks off a subplot that allows the world and the characters to be set. Then there's a second... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it a bad idea to write and edit chapter by chapter? > I was wondering if this edit-as-you-go method is a common way to write (from reading other questions and answers on here, it doesn't seem to be)? Is it definitely to be avoided, and why? I write fanfic (and originals) too and I also edit in a similar way. It's true: it's not common. In fact, I fee... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Writing psychopathic characters (I) @EFF\FireFly suggested goor resources but I'd like to add a few tidbits of my own, since I have written a psycopathic character. First of all, being a psycopath doesn't mean you have to enjoy cruelty or have sadistic tendencies. It just means you don't have empathy for others and have difficulty und... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Length of Children's Books I've bought a few books for young cousins that are collections of stories to be read around the year... or simply anthologies of stories under a certain theme (princesses, giants, whatever). Parents like it because one book will work for many nights and many stories. My suggestion is to present your... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What makes a personified force of nature? The phrase "force of nature" refers, properly speaking, to a natural phenomenon outside the control of human beings. The key idea here is can't be controlled because, typically, it's too strong. When referring to people as "forces of nature", that's still the key idea: a strong person that defies so... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the Criteria that Distinguish a Thriller from Horror? I was intrigued about the question, so I surfed around and came up with the following notions: 1. Thriller: The villains control the plot: they create obstacles/problems that the protagonists must overcome against the clock and while overcoming a personal difficulty/problem. There are usually... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I write an uneducated character with a genius level intellect in a medieval society? Having in mind the OP's comment... > By sheltered, I meant very sheltered. This owes to the fact the protagonist is next in line for the throne, but the rest of his family was murdered when he was merely half a year old. His (adoptive) father had to flee the castle with the baby during a coup, and t... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can a person get bogged down by science fiction research? I would suggest that first of all you divide your questions above in two groups: the ones about society and the ones about...well, the rest. You can start with either group of questions. Say you start with society: try to answer those questions before you write. Ideally, give them short, summarised ... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	Language specific rhetorical devices and their influence on non-English native writers NOTE: I've heavily rephrased the original question in a last attempt to clarify it. Background to the question While studying Portuguese literature in secondary school, one learns several rhetorical devices, which include figures of speech and other devices. Within these 'other devices', one learns... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Where in the writing process do you work in subtext? I would like to try an answer that overlooks the contentious term 'subtext'. Regardless of its meaning (or meanings) in literary theory, the truth is most amateur writers (in the sense of writers who write for the love of it and discover the techniques as they go in order to perfect their craft) misu... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Historical Fiction: using you and thou Generally speaking, English once used 'you' as the second person plural (equivalent to 'vous' and 'vós') and 'thou' as the second person singular (equivalent to 'tu'). When talking to a person in a higher position, one would use the polite 'you' rather than the informal 'thou'. Nevertheless, as time ... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Labyrinth: old freeware to organise characters and plot I found this freeware app, labytrinth, years ago. It allowed to create elements (characters, places, objects, etc) and detail information about them. Then you could drag these elements into a wide area where you could set relationships in between them (arrows with little text tags). It also had a fun... (more)	—	over 7 years ago